the engagement crisis:
tackling the detachment epidemic head-on

It’s no secret that engagement is one of the biggest challenges in the modern workplace. According to Gallup’s 2025 report, only 21% of employees globally are fully engaged at work, a drop from 23% in 2023. In the US specifically, engagement has plummeted to its lowest level in a decade, with only 31% of employees actively engaged and 17% actively disengaged. This isn’t just a number on a chart, it’s estimated to cost the global economy £325 billion every year in lost productivity.

The problem is everywhere. Teams complete eLearning modules, tick boxes in compliance training, and attend workshops, yet the knowledge often disappears almost immediately. Employees check out because learning experiences fail to connect emotionally, intellectually, or practically. And the longer disengagement persists, the harder it becomes to turn it around.

Strong social connections are essential for workplace success so spotting authenticity is important for any new hire. According to Forbes, “Authenticity is the essential factor to achieve long-term success for an organisation, both culturally and financially.” If authenticity is important to both the new hire and the success of an organisation, it’s certainly an important element of any businesses bespoke digital onboarding programme.

why engagement matters

Disengaged employees aren’t just a productivity issue, they affect morale, retention and the overall culture of an organisation. When people don’t feel connected to their work, they stop caring. This isn’t laziness, it’s a signal that something fundamental is broken in the way learning and development is approached.

Research from the Learning & Performance Institute highlights that engagement is the number one challenge L&D leaders face. Employees are more likely to retain knowledge and apply skills when learning is emotionally resonant and feels relevant to their day-to-day work. Engagement drives behaviour change, which in turn drives impact. Tick-box training alone simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

what’s driving the crisis?

content overload: Employees are bombarded with information that feels generic and irrelevant. Learning isn’t designed for their context or role.

lack of connection: Leadership often focuses on output over experience. Managers are busy, stretched, or untrained in effective learning design.

measurement misalignment: Organisations track completion rates and clicks, not behaviour change or emotional impact.

limited growth opportunities: Without clear relevance or pathways for development, employees see learning as a chore, not a tool for progress.

how to tackle the engagement crisis

The problem isn’t that employees don’t want to learn. it’s that the learning organisations give them fails to meet them where they are. The challenge is clear but solutions exist research and real-world evidence show that organisations can dramatically increase engagement by focusing on four key areas:

1. design for emotion

Learning that sparks curiosity, empathy, or excitement sticks. A study by the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that emotional engagement increases retention by up to 40%. This means moving away from static slides and towards storytelling, scenario-based learning, and immersive experiences. Asking one simple question early in a project, “How should this make someone feel?” can transform a module from forgettable to unforgettable.

2. make it human-centred

Employees want to see themselves in the content. They want scenarios that reflect real challenges they face and decisions they actually make. Human-centred design, informed by behavioural science, allows learners to interact, reflect, and apply knowledge in ways that are meaningful. This approach doesn’t just teach, it builds empathy, confidence and connection.

3. focus on practical impact

Engagement isn’t just about attention; it’s about change. According to a 2024 Harvard Business Review study, 75% of employees report forgetting the majority of training content within a month. By linking learning to real-world application and measurable outcomes, organisations can create tangible impact. Interactive exercises, follow-up tasks, and continuous feedback loops ensure learning translates into action.

4. leadership and culture matter

Even the best-designed learning will fail if leaders don’t champion it. Gallup research consistently shows that manager quality is the strongest predictor of engagement. Training leaders to model desired behaviours, recognise effort, and support learning journeys is critical. Engagement is as much about culture as it is about content.

moving beyond the crisis

Disengagement is not inevitable. The organisations that will thrive in the next decade are those that invest in learning that resonates, experiences that respect people, spark curiosity and turn training into real transformation.

Engagement isn’t a KPI to tick off. It’s the heartbeat of a thriving workplace, and it starts with learning that people actually want to do. That’s why at Mindboost we’re on a mission to obliterate dull, click-next eLearning. We design experiences that are remembered, applied, and genuinely change how people think and feel. Learning that feels relevant, human and impactful, not just another box to tick.

The engagement crisis isn’t just a statistic. It’s a challenge. And it’s one we’re already tackling, one emotionally connected learning experience at a time.

how we’re tackling the engagement crisis

Our mission to obliterate dull, click-next eLearning drives everything we do. Tackling engagement isn’t a theory, it’s at the heart of our design philosophy, applied across every client project:

experience driven learning design: Every programme starts with the question: how should this make someone feel? We focus on creating experiences that are intuitive, relevant and memorable, not just informative.

human-centred digital platforms: We don’t just deliver content; we transform learning ecosystems. From LMS platforms to bespoke digital experiences, we make learning spaces that learners want to use, where connection, reflection and growth happen naturally.

performance-focused interventions: Learning only matters when it translates into behaviour change. Through interactive modules, scenario-based exercises, and performance consultancy, we ensure learning impacts day-to-day work and organisational outcomes.

collaborative development & feedback loops: Engagement is a moving target. We embed iterative feedback processes with learners and stakeholders, continuously improving content, experience, and impact.

empowering leaders and teams: Beyond individual learning, we work with managers and teams to embed learning into culture so engagement isn’t occasional, it’s continuous.

Through these methods, Mindboost isn’t just observing the engagement crisis, we’re actively addressing it, proving that when learning is designed for humans, engagement, impact and retention follow naturally.